Dirty Fuel at a High Price

NWF Shares a Firsthand Look at Alberta's Tar Sands

10-12-2010
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Aislinn Maestas

Last week, members of National Wildlife Federation's staff and board spent 3 days touring Alberta’s tar sands mining operations. The trip included an industry-led tour of Suncor’s mining operations, a flyover of the toxic wasteland that has replaced Canada's boreal forest, and visits with several of Canada's First Nations community leaders.

“What’s striking in our conversations is that those who don’t depend on the land, and who don’t really have a deep connection to the land, are seemingly not invested in its health, its vitality, its beauty," said NWF's Felice Stadler. "They see the land as a resource that will line their pockets with money. Is it any different in the coal fields of West Virginia or the gas fields of Wyoming? Or is it, sadly, more of the same? Big oil making big profits at the expense of people and wildlife, and the resources on which we depend to sustain life: clean air, clean water, healthy lands."

To see for yourself the destruction and environmental damage tar sands production has brought to Alberta, Canada, watch NWF's video series from the tar sands tour (sneak peak below) or check out our tar sands photo slideshow.

National Wildlife Federation is currently working to slow production of tar sands fuels in Alberta and to keep dangerous tar sands oil pipelines out of America's Heartland.

You can help by sharing our photos and videos with friends and taking action. As NWF's Jeremy Symons said, "'this can’t be the way our energy future needs to go."